


Halo on Fire

by the_lie_eternal



Category: Auf Streife
Genre: Angst, Fire, Gay Stuff, Hospital, Hurt, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Pain, Police, Short, Trigger Warnings, burn injury, criminals, policewomen and men at work
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-17
Updated: 2021-01-17
Packaged: 2021-03-15 17:40:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,507
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28817214
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_lie_eternal/pseuds/the_lie_eternal
Summary: Ben had always been the guy to risk his life. It wouldn't be different that time.
Relationships: Ben Decker/Erik Stein





	Halo on Fire

"Attention, big boy, we're almost there." Jule chuckled, keeping me awake with a strong pat on my leg. I growled, fixing my eyes back on the road to reboot my brain.

"Long night?" she grinned, knowing me way too well after all these years we've already been going on patrol together.

"Yeah, sometimes I just can't say no to Erik." I huffed with a smile, receiving laughter.

"I know that feeling, he must be tired too then. That and inside duty, poor guy." Jule continued, turning our patrol car into the street of our destination - some shaggy club in some shaggy area, nothing new. Reported were two burglars the owner had spotted through his security cameras, an almost daily case for us experienced police-inspectors.

I slammed the door of the patrol car shut, letting my gaze wander over our surroundings. It was well audible that someone was inside the club, probably amateurs trying to earn the big cash. I chuckled as I pulled my belt higher, waiting for my colleague to stand next to me.

"Why would you commit crimes on such a sunny and warm day, I will never understand this." Jule chuckled as we made our way towards the building.

"Never underestimate humans and their stupidity." I replied, placing my hand on my gun in precautions. The front door of the club had been broken open, a verbal fight among the two suspects was sounding into our direction. They were close, this should be easy.

_ This should be easy. _

My first try to disarm the suspect I chose ended up in a black eye for me and a bleeding nose for him, a fist fight cooking up between us both when I made the mistake of checking on Jule, who was struggling just as much as I did with my criminal.

Said man took the second of me being inattentive to slip out of my grip into freedom, sprinting out of the club's door, being promptly followed by his accomplice who pushed his elbow into Jule's stomach to make her let him go.

I gave her greenish eyes a quick gaze, she nodded to show me she was okay so I could sprint after the fleeing pair. Not with me, I muttered under my breath. Not with Ben Decker.

I saw them jumping into what was probably supposed to be their car, being just fast enough to rip open the passenger door and wrap my hand around the neck of the criminal that attacked Jule, pulling him painfully outside of the car while said thing began racing off.

Just as I wanted to pin the one suspect down and handcuff him, my gaze went over to the car for just a second too long, once again ...

The driver lost control, egging around the small parking lot before crashing full speed into a nearby standing car.

Flames.

The two vehicles immediately caught fire, I didn't even hesitate to let go of the suspect in my hands to sprint once again into the direction of the accident.

"BEN!" I heard my colleague screaming. I knew that she wanted to keep me from what I was attempting. She wouldn't be able to, after all these years she should've known I was as stubborn as a grumpy goat.

"BEN, DON'T!" it rang in my ears as I approached the fire, checking out any possible way through which I could reach the other fleeing criminal.

There was only one path and it would be right through the flames. I growled, throwing my tear gas off my belt before storming into the unbearable heat in front of me.

Ben. I heard it for a last time - before I was cradled in flames and such an extreme heat, feeling as if my skin melted off my body. I quickly found myself against the glowing hot door of the car, burning my left palm as I ripped it open to pull out the unconscious criminal with my other. Now or never, I grunted, trying to make my way out of the flames which would be a much more difficult task than getting into it in the first place.

I screamed out loud, sprinting into a random direction I chose with the suspect in my grip just to rush out of the burning mess with my last power.

I heard how the criminal slapped onto the ground next to me as I dragged myself over to the patrol car, forgetting what I had just done to realize what would come once the adrenaline left my body.

I shouted in pain, holding myself on my legs just enough while cramping my right hand around the railing on top of the patrol car.

As if a hundred million knives were stuck inside of my back and my left arm, I cursed out every dirty word I knew just to somehow relieve the pain that was becoming worse with every second.

"BEN!" I heard it again, smiling as I heard the familiar voice of my friend again.

"Oh my god ... oh my ... ambulances are on the way, just try to stay calm. Your uniform has ... has burned away ... your back ... you arm." she tried to explain what was going on with myself but there was only one thought playing in my mind over and over again.

"C- FUCK." I hissed as I knew I wouldn't be able to bear this pain any longer. "Call ... Erik!" I commanded, feeling how only now the tears rushed out of my eyes.

"I will, stay calm." Jule comforted me, pointing at the arriving ambulances while I was concentrating on staying alive at all.

Was it worth running into the flames to save a criminal? Was it worth the pain I felt afterwards, the mere fact my back and left arm were entirely cooking alive?

I fell unconscious sometime after that thought and only woke up inside the driving ambulance again, greeting the emergency doctor sitting next to me.

I hated the feeling of both standing under heavy painkillers but also feeling just enough pain to make it incredibly uncomfortable for me to sit on the table in the treatment room of the hospital they brought me to. I only sighed exhausted as they peeled me out of the last remainders of my fancy blue uniform no more and the pretty black "police"-shirt I wore underneath. It was just when they were done cleaning all the enormous burns over my back and left arm when I spotted a small, blonde and bearded policeman attempting to storm the treatment room and being held back by two nurses. Erik.

"He's my boyfriend, please." I huffed towards those who kept him contained, making him stumble into the room right next to me.

"Oh god, love, are you okay, Jule called me, you're in hospital, you got burned, you had a fight, you, you, you ..." he panicked as he looked at me being wrapped up into countless giant bandages. I lost myself in his big blue eyes, even though they were teared up.

"I'm okay." I hummed, using my right hand to caress his beard, appreciating that he was by my side.

"It's not an everyday sight to treat a policeman and his partner being both a male and a policeman as well." the doctor gave me a faint but well meant smile. Yes, it was odd, the whole situation about Erik and I. We've known each other for quite some time already, almost 10 years - yet we never really got in touch with each other. I had my fix patrol partners, Erik had his, there was nothing more than the simple term "colleague" between us. Until the day where Jule had to skip work because of her ill daughter and Moritz had to do the same because he had a minor bike accident on his way to work - long story short, Erik and I found each other sitting together in the same patrol car for the first time, that had been 4 years ago. I've loved him with all my heart ever since, it didn't even take us a week until we had our first kiss and to end up in an actual relationship this quick. It just worked between us, we were harmonizing, for some reason none of us understood.

Erik was still holding my hand as I was brought into my hospital room in a wheelchair, he wouldn't leave my side this fast anymore.

"In a handful of hours we will have to check on your bandages again, until then you are free to do almost everything you want. If you want to sleep, take care of your arm and don't sleep on your back." the nurse explained after helping me sitting down onto the bed, I nodded and he left me and my partner alone.

"Oh, love." Erik hummed as our gazes met, him sitting down on my right side so I could touch him with my still functioning hand. Hesitatingly he moved his face closer to mine, gently touching my nose with his.

"I'm glad you're here." I whispered, placing my fingers in the back of his hair to pull him into a long and sweet kiss that made me almost forget the uncomfortable pain all over my torso. His wet lips softened up my sore ones, his fingers brushing over the spots where parts of my hair seared away by the flames made me feel less hideous about them and all in all he made it seem like the world was okay, just for these few minutes. It hurt my heart as we parted again, but his smile made me feel all warm inside, that was definitely not coming from the burning bruises over my back.

"Can I have your phone? I want to call Jule." I hummed as I spotted the outline of said object in the pocket on his leg. Erik nodded, handing it to me without hesitation.

"Erik?" the gentle yet alarmed female voice was heard out of the speaker, making me smile.

"It's Ben, how are you doing?" I chuckled as I heard the audible relief on the other side of the phone.

"Oh my, I almost thought Erik would call to tell me bad news, I'm so glad to hear your voice. I'm okay, been doing the paperwork for the past hours to distract me. How bad is it?" she asked, making a sting go through my chest.

"I'll be off duty for some weeks, I'm afraid. But it's not too severe, I'm allowed to return once my wounds healed." I explained, hearing another calming sigh from my friend.

"I'm glad to hear that. I'm sure Erik can pick up your belongings from the department and deliver it to you, but no hurry. It's safely stored inside of your locker." she stated.

"Thank you, all of you. We will talk again, alright?" I exclaimed, feeling how the exhaustment slowly got hold of me.

"Yes, take care, big boy." she chuckled before we said goodbye and I handed the phone back to its owner.

"I'm tired, baby." I hummed onto Erik's chest as I leaned myself against it, him carefully having his arms around me.

"Go to rest, then. I'll check on you tomorrow again and bring your stuff." my partner smiled, pressing a kiss onto my forehead.

"I want to talk to Andre Ziegler." I muttered, holding my police ID against the gates' window, asking my way into pending investigation.

"Decker, alright. Got anything on you?" the guard asked, I shook my head.

"Alright then, judging by the bandages I'll spare you from a body search this time. If you would follow me?" he stated, I stepped right behind him. It had been two weeks since I ran into and out of the flames again, I wouldn't have to stay in hospital anymore but I needed to take care of myself and regularly change the bandages. It would be a good moment to meet the guy who almost took my life - yet also whose life I saved.

The heavy door of his cell had been opened for me, another guard would wait outside until I was done talking to the criminal. The look on his face was priceless as he realized who walked into his cell, yet this time in civil clothing.

"Oh wow, Sir." he raised himself from his desk as he saw me, eyeing the bandages covering my whole left arm still. It had actually been the first time that I saw him without a mask on, he was shorter than me with hazelnut-brown trimmed hair, a healed stitch going over his nose and bandages covering both of his lower arms.

"I felt like I should visit you, after what we've been through." I chuckled, placing myself on his bed after he went back on his chair.

"I owe you my life, mister Decker. I feel so incredibly guilty about the whole fight beforehand, I regret ever planning this whole crime at all because it almost caused the death of not only me but a policeman." Andre muttered, I nodded in agreement.

"I'm glad your eyes have been opened." I huffed.

"Why did you save me, why did you risk your life for a mere criminal?" he whimpered as he once again eyed the white cloth around my arm.

"Criminal or not, human is human. I don't know who you are, but there are at least a handful people out there who would suffer if you'd been taken from them because of a plain stupidity. It's not that you grew close to me when we fought but that you're just as much of a being as I am, and I swore to protect human life." I vented, raising myself onto my legs again. I wouldn't want to become friends with him, just talk out the whole situation.

"I'm so grateful, mister Decker. I'm so sorry that you risked your life to save mine. Just thank you, alright?" Andre stated, holding out his hand for a handshake. I gave in, turning around afterwards to call for the guard to let me out again.

I didn't feel sorry for Andre going to jail, I never did about any criminals. Yet knowing that easily throwing away my life like this wasn't in vain gave me enough of a push to continue straightforward.

"Hey so, we weren't sure whether you'd keep your short sleeves or would switch over to long sleeves, so we got you a stack of both." Jule explained as we stood in front of said blue uniforms in the locker room.

I eyed my left arm and the scar tissue all over it. It would be a part of me from there on, I wouldn't have to hide it.

"Short." I stated, grabbing the stack to store it in my locker. Maybe I had also been a bit proud of my newly earned scars. After all, they were signs of me saving the life of a person that deserved to keep on living.

**Author's Note:**

> I actually dreamed about this plot so, yay! More Angst for Benny!


End file.
